In which we decide to take a road trip
Posted by Isabel on June 24th, 2008. Filed under: Back in the Day, My Sweet Babboo, They're just my family.Every summer, when I was little, my parents would pack up our car (or our truck, depending) and we’d drive down to Utah to visit my mom’s family for the 4th of July. We lived in Oregon when I was in elementary school so the trek to Utah was a long one. Having us all stuffed inside our little car (of worse, in the back of the truck) was painful and only made the trip that less desirable. Sure we loved spending time with our extended family in Utah, but we hated the drive to grandma’s house.
In an attempt to make the long car trip more manageable my mom would do everything in her power to keep us entertained. She would pack bags full of library books and puzzles. She’s also pack a cooler full of water and sandwiches so we wouldn’t have to stop to eat. My mom always made two pans of treats and loaded them into the car still in their pans. One pan was her famous fudge (half with nuts, half without) and one pan was Jello jigglers. I was mostly only interested in the jigglers.
The rest of them fought over the fudge.
I have a few very distinct memories from these trips. One involves an intense bout of car sickness and a leftover sandwich baggie my mom wanted me to vomit into. Another memory is sort of the same. Except there was no baggie that time.
Only an open window and the wind in my face.
One story, that I don’t remember, gets retold time and time again. Apparently my family and I were driving through the night while my older brother and I were asleep in the back seat. I woke up and decided to play a trick on my dad, who was driving at the time.
“Guess who,” I asked my dad as I put my hands over his eyes.
And then he freaked out, swerving on the empty street. My mom and brother instantly woke up and my mom quickly pulled my hands away from my dad’s eyes.
Oopsie.
I remember playing silly road trip games like Bingo and Slugbug. I remember my mom prompting us to look for specific farm animals or car. Or even license plates. I remember tying to sleep with my head propped between my pillow and the window. And I remember freaking out when my younger sister had gas and we constantly had to open the car windows to let in some fresh air.
Good times.
Since moving to Seattle to marry The King almost eight years ago, he and I had driven to Utah once or twice. Maybe three times. Usually we just fly. It’s so much faster and relatively cheap to get plane tickets. But now that Babboo’s over two, we have to buy him his own ticket. And we all know that tickets aren’t as cheap as they once were. (Dude, what happened to flying to Utah for $99 roundtrip?)
And yet, I’m still itching to be in Utah for the 4th of July. I want Babboo to have some of the same experiences I had a child visiting family in Utah. I want him to go to the parade on the morning of the 4th. I want him to sit in the same spot my family’s been sitting in since my mom was born. (In front of the bank, in the shade.)
(My family and I, in our spot, for the 4th of July parade in 1986.)
I want Babboo to wear his new 4th outfit and try to catch the candy as the floats go by. I want him to walk up to the park, after the parade is over, and eat cotton candy and punch bags. I want him to sit under the big tree in the corner of the park and watch the people go by. I want him to eat turkey sandwiches on homemade rolls at my grandma’s house and drink as many punch bags as he can sneak with the rest of the kids. I want him to watch the fireworks and try to catch fish in the pond.
And that is why we’re packing up our car next week and driving down to Utah. It seems a little ridiculous to spend three days in the car when we’ll only be in Utah for two days. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for most of my adult life.
I’m taking my son to the 4th of July.
Now we just need to make it through the drive to get there. We’ve never gone more then a few hours in the car with Babboo. And I’m pretty sure a pan of fudge and Jell-o jigglers isn’t going to hold his attention like it did for my family. And I’m not sure he’ll sleep in his car seat if we decide to drive all night. And we don’t have a portable DVD player.
So tell me, how do I make this road trip the best start to an even better mini vacation?
June 24th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I love road trips! I miss jello jigglers – my mom would make them for summer treats. Another piece of my childhood I miss.
If you have a laptop with a DVD player, invest $15 in a power adapter for the cigarette lighter. I use that to keep Maddy occupied, it’s better than a portable DVD player. I also give her my camera so she can take her own pictures. We also listen to kids’ CDs until I can’t take anymore Wheels on the Bus. Then we switch to classic rock.
Stop every couple of hours and stretch your legs. If you have time, find some interesting landmarks along the way. Even if you only stop for 10 minutes, it’s time out of the car and gets the blood flowing again.
And of course an emergency package with trash bags, Dramamine, wet wipes, paper towels, band aids, Ziploc bags (for yucky clothes), water bottles and Tylenol.
Have a great time!
June 24th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Your trip sounds like so much fun. I love the 4th of July. I dont know how “in” to TV you are, but if you think it would occupy Babboo’s time, maybe borrow a DVD player, or I agree with Kim, use a laptop with a power cord.
ALso, sometimes when we’ve driven long distances, my kids have liked those desk type things that fit on their lap (you can get at target or one step ahead) so they can color or do something on their laps
They like lots of snacks too
Have fun!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Oh, I was going to suggest a portable DVD player. But I don’t have kids, so I only have to keep a husband and dog entertained. I wish I could be more helpful!
Have fun though!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
NyQuil.
What?
Everyone else is thinking it… I’m just the only one who said it.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Sounds like fun! My suggestions are a magna doodle and those color wonder marker things…….and it may just be worth an investment in a dvd player!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
If you want Babboo to have the best 4th ever, you need to go to Old Navy and buy those $5 t-shirts for your whole family and wear them every where you go.
It just screams Utah Mormons, doesn’t it?
June 24th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I love roadtrips! Incidentally, Kev and I were discussing future road trips now that we have a baby. We haven’t come up with many solutions, but we did agree that our moral opposition to in-car DVD players would probably wane in about 3 hours on the road
Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Our road trips consisted of half-hour increments. Activities were changed every half-hour, with snacks from the special, navy blue, road-trip-only snack container a tthe changing of activity. Good luck!
xox
June 24th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I’ve never posted a comment before, but I just got back from a road trip from Utah to Chicago, with a 6 week old, a 2 year old and 4 year old, so I can totally relate to the “what to bring” dillema. Fun time, let me tell ya. The portable DVD totally saved us. The kids really weren’t interested in anything else. I would suggest packing healthy snacks, nothing is worse than having a sugar rush and nowhere to run! I packed cut fruit, (blueberries were the favorite snack) mini carrots, crackers and cheese, nuts, trail mix…. it seemed to help. Good luck! I look forward to hearing all about it.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
We’ve taken lots of long driving trips with our kids (now ages 8 & 5). I purchase lots of “new” toys they can play with in the car from yard sales, dollar store, etc. Since they are older, they love activity books, mad libs, and the “magic marker” books. I wrap them with wrapping paper and bring one out every hour or so. To qualify, it has to be inexpensive & something that would be great for car activities. They love it. After our portable DVD player broke last year, we didn’t even replace it because they behave so well doing these things. When they were younger though, I think the DVD player would’ve been replaced…they can’t as easliy entertain themselves with their toys for prolonged times at younger ages. Good luck!
June 24th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Since Babboo is still pretty young, you might try doing most of your driving while he is sleeping. Our road trip snacks are carrots, pickles, fruits (not too juicy), and a big pan of rice crispy treats. We also always pack an ice chest with waters and sandwiches. Then have a pic-nic somewhere along the way.
On their way back from California this spring, my dad and Greg picked up something called Wikki Sticks (I don’t know if that’s how you spell it). Greg said that they entertained all three kiddos for hours.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
You had me laughing out loud a few times with this post. “Guess who?” Classic.
We’ve done a few car trips and plane rides. The bestest investment we’ve made was a portable dvd player. We even use it at home. Like when he’s up at night and sick, we’ll watch a little Thomas the Tank Engine while in bed as we wait for his meds to kick in.
Your car sick/sandwhich bag story reminded me of a friend’s. Every year she, her siblings and parents would take a camping trip. When someone got car sick, that person would throw up in a baggie. Then the dad would fling the baggie out the window and say, “Some dog’s gettin’ a warm dinner tonight!” Eww. Eww. Eww!
June 24th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Driving at night is SO worth it! We drive to California each year through the night. It’s much easier on the little ones (although he may wake up and whine a few times) but they’re used to being still all night.
And don’t play too many DVD’s or they won’t have the desired affect. GOOD LUCK!
June 24th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Aside from the drive, it sounds like fun! I wish we had fun plans for the 4th.
If you get any good advice, let me know. Lila cried for our entire (not an exaggeration) 10 hr. drive to Tampa…and back.
June 24th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
“I was mostly only interested in the jigglers.” — That’s what he said.
I don’t have any advice for you, unfortunately. But I hope you have a completely fabulous 4th of July!
June 24th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
[...] (Many thanks to Isabel and her road trip stories for inspiring today’s post!) [...]
June 25th, 2008 at 3:01 am
Get those brown paper lunch bags and fill 4 – 5 of them with a simple snack, or lunch and also a cheap toy. (Poor Man’s Happy Meal with a suprise inside.) Then give him a brand new surprise every few hours.
Torture yourself by listening to his favorite books on tape and singing along with kiddy songs (while your secretly listening to Twilight for the 5th time on your Ipod).
Barf Bags, Loads of Wipes, and garbage bags are a must as well.
Good luck and have an awesome 4th.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:01 am
We also fly most of the places that we go, but when we go to Montana we have to drive because the flights are too expensive! We have a 5 year old and a two year old and have done a long car trip for each of the last five years.
The ways that we keep the kids entertained have changed over the years, but here are my best of the best…
1. I always wished that I had a tray table in my car like the one we have on the plane. So my father took a piece of 1/4 inch plywood and cut it to fit between the front seat and the car seat. He lined it with quarter round on the edge, so that cars cannot roll off, and cut a round space in the center of the side that faces them for their bellies. Then he adhered green felt to the surface. We put velcro straps on them that loop around the headrest of the front seats. They are wonderful! I will not go on a car trip without them!
2. We use either time or mileage, coupons (either printed from our computer and cut out, or the kind you can buy in a big roll like they have at carnivals), and the kids get a coupon for each segment. We either use 1/2 hour or 50 miles. We make a big deal of it being ticket time. We purchase a bunch of really inexpensive things that they can then buy with the coupons. It is great because it gives them something to focus on, and teaches them some principles of saving. We might have a small puzzle for 3 or 4 coupons, or a book for 2 coupons, or stickers for 1, or a bigger toy for 8 or 10. Other things we use are new coloring books, cars, trains, special food treats. At the beginning of the trip we tell them how many tickets they will be able to earn total, and show them all of the items, with prices marked. They then can choose the order in which they earn them. It is wonderful!
3. We do use a dvd player. It only comes out on long trips, never around town. They are not allowed to have it on constantly, and they have to take turns choosing the show. We do not bring all of the dvds, and we get to choose which ones we bring. We are careful to bring things that calm them down, not rile them up. It gets us through some of the longer segments.
4. We do bring snacks in the car, but we make it a point to find either a play area or a park about every 200 miles. We let the kids get in at least a good 20 minutes of playing in. It really helps. If they are sleeping though, we do not wake them up.
5. We have only succeeded at driving at night once. Our kids are really bothered by the oncoming headlights. We only succeeded that time because we rigged up blankets to shield them from the oncoming traffic. It is tricky because you don’t want to block the driver’s view. If that is your plan, you should spend some time the day before testing out how to hang the blankets so that it works for all parties involved!
Good luck! I hope our experience is helpful!
Chris
June 25th, 2008 at 4:04 am
my entire childhood summers were roadtrips. We’d drive to Minnesota and back, Montana and back, and Washington and back all in one summer. Okay, i sometimes hated it. But it was part of being a kid!
Why not leave at like 3 am and try to get some hours of Babboo sleeping on the drive?
June 25th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
The only memories I have of childhood road trips are my brother dumping a Slurpee on my head somewhere in the middle of North Carolina and stopping many times on the shoulder of I-95 so he could pee in a coke bottle.
As for my road trip advice, here it goes. The DVD works well, I always rent some new movies before we go. Also, when the girls were little I would wrap several little trinkets to be opened when things got too cranky. They were usually little games, suckers or something else I felt would occupy them for awhile. This works great on plane trips as well.
Have fun!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
We always listened to the old Winnie the Pooh books on tape. I think Carol Channing read them? If stories will keep him occipied, that might work!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
God bless you for your willingness to even attempt this trip. And how exciting it will be when you get to share those memories with Babboo. I don’t really have anything like that to share with the girls. I’m not sure if I’m bummed or relieved by that revelation.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Roadtrips are so much fun! Since my mom and I just recently went on a trip from SLC to Portland, I know all too well how long the drive can be. I’ve never gone on a long trip with a toddler, but I would suggest bringing lots of toys and things to keep him occupied. I’m sure you figured out this brilliant piece of advice without my help, haha.
It sucks you guys don’t have a portable DVD player. That thing can be a life saver when it comes to a toddler. I’d totally borrow you mine if you were starting here and ending here, lol.
Good luck! I’m sure you guys will have a blast!
June 25th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
[...] Where is my d*mn money? I need it to buy lots of snacks and toys for our upcoming road trip. [...]
June 25th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Oh, I forgot to add that an .88 cent cup of “flarp” from Walmart kept our entire family entertained for about an hour. Flarp is that cup of putty stuff that sounds like a toot when you stick your finger in it…. silly, I know but it kept us laughing for a good hour!
June 25th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
We are also embarking on a road trip over the 4th of July… up to Montanna! Too bad we’ll miss you when your out here!
My mother-in-law has told me thousands (seriously, thousands) of times that a cooperation box is the way to go on road trips. But really, this year is the first time that they might be old enough to understand the concept of “if you don’t hit your brother/sister you will get to choose a treat or prize from the box.” We’re trying it out on this trip!
Have fun, be safe, tell your fam I said hi!
June 25th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I just realized I said “your” instead of “you’re” I hate it when I do that. duh
June 25th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
You need awesome driving tunes. I shall make you a suggested play list.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:18 am
I’m so excited for you! Nothing says Americana summer like a road trip. You’re not going to drive I-90, are you? (I don’t know the best route to wherever you are going in Utah).
Happy 4th to your family.